The Utility of Brief Cognitive Tests for Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review
Journal of the American Medical Directors Association
Dong, Y. H., Kua, Z. J., et al. (2016).
Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 17(10), 889-895.
This systematic review investigates the utility of brief cognitive tests for detecting mild cognitive impairment and dementia in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Although speech-language pathologists do not diagnose dementia or mild cognitive impairment, findings from this review may be useful for identifying tools for detection of cognitive impairments in this population.
Not stated
January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2015
Any study design except reviews, meta-analysis, and case reports
22
<p>Brief cognitive tests (including the Mini Mental State Examination, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Test Your Memory, Telephone Interview of Cognitive Status and Mini-Cog) are often used to track cognition in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Of the 22 included studies, 14 examined these tests as measures of global cognitive functioning, while eight studies examined them as cognitive screening tools. Overall, individuals with T2DM performed worse than those without diabetes, particularly in the area of processing speed.</p>
<p>A brief cognitive screenings test (such as the MoCA) when combined with a processing speed measure (such as the Digit Symbol Substitution Test) shows initial promise as a screening tool. Methodological issues and a lack of reported sensitivity and specificity data indicate that further research is warranted to establish the validity and utility of these types of measures in this population. </p>
